Who remembers Aquarium Stock FS?

Not sure if this is the right place for this(Mods move if nesessary). But who is old enough to remember Aquarium stock FS on Warren st in Manhattan? My father used to take us there when we were kids, it was huge! It ran from one street to the next. I don't know how to post a link but if you goggle Modern Aquarium November 2011 they did a nice right up about it. Too bad they are still not around today.

There's been quite a few old shops in the city that have come and gone. Now looking back you sort of appreciate what you did see back then as the way people did business was so different (and better IMHO).

I recall a small shop on west 8th street by 5th avenue. Lots of gorgeous stuff for salt and fresh but alas, i would only window shop and admire from afar without having a tank at home to keep anything.

I dont recall Aquarium Stock, but there are a few shops i wish were still around. Crystal Aquarium on 93rd St. And 3rd. Ave was a young fishkeepers heaven, rows upon rows of quality livestock. There was another huge store on 23rd street on the east side that also had beautiful quality fish. They had a huge saltwater and reef section also. My favorite shop by far was Trailers Tropicals on Gun Hill Road in the Bronx. This was a little hole in the wall mom and pop store, but this is where i became a fishkeeper. Would go there for a few hours after school everyday and learned everything i could from the owner John. I would catch garter snakes back then and trade them in for fish. Eventually i started asking for more exotic stuff and John asked me if i wanted to go with him to the wholesalers place and i could pick out my own fish. Thats all it took, i've been addicted ever since. Wish these stores were still around.

The one on W. 8th st. was New World Aquarium, which moved to E. 38th st. before they closed last year. They were overpriced, but they always had fish & plants you'd never see anywhere else. Crystal had 2 locations on 3rd ave., & there was also a Fishtown USA further downtown, also on 3rd. There was another Fishtown on Nassau st. I remember that in both Fishtowns all the tanks had black gravel, like in the one in Auburndale.

New World was horrible.....and when they shut down they left their website up still (don't ask me why). So alot of people in midtown were still heading over there to an empty address this past summer. LMAO!

I dont recall Aquarium Stock, but there are a few shops i wish were still around. Crystal Aquarium on 93rd St. And 3rd. Ave was a young fishkeepers heaven, rows upon rows of quality livestock. There was another huge store on 23rd street on the east side that also had beautiful quality fish. They had a huge saltwater and reef section also. My favorite shop by far was Trailers Tropicals on Gun Hill Road in the Bronx. This was a little hole in the wall mom and pop store, but this is where i became a fishkeeper. Would go there for a few hours after school everyday and learned everything i could from the owner John. I would catch garter snakes back then and trade them in for fish. Eventually i started asking for more exotic stuff and John asked me if i wanted to go with him to the wholesalers place and i could pick out my own fish. Thats all it took, i've been addicted ever since. Wish these stores were still around.

Not sure if this is the right place for this(Mods move if nesessary). But who is old enough to remember Aquarium stock FS on Warren st in Manhattan? My father used to take us there when we were kids, it was huge! It ran from one street to the next. I don't know how to post a link but if you goggle Modern Aquarium November 2011 they did a nice right up about it. Too bad they are still not around today.

Sorry about the slow reply. I, too, was feeling nostalgic and googled aquarium stock, when i found your posting. My dad was a bartender next door, and i was into fish...so...

I bought my first pair of breeding dwarf gouramis there...and sure enough for this 12 year old to watch that bubble nest get built, feed the fry infosoria ...woo! woo! I remember lugging a 20 gallon tank from aquarium stock back home to queens on the subway. As you know it progresses from there.

Aqua Stock was great. Went there a lot when I was a teen in the 70's and 80's.

The store was huge, stretching from the main entrance on Warren Street to the rear on Murray Street. One block away from City Hall Park. They had a good marine section, and lots of tanks with just plants. The right wall was continuous tanks though a big wood unit was past the middle with larger tanks with discus and angels.

They were big enough to have their own store brand -- Aquarium Stock Company. Their prices were moderate to moderately high. The quality of the fish was very good. They had a lot of experienced employees working there who could dole out good advice. No pressure, I remember a lot of patience - especially with a teenager with limited funds.

A man in dress shirt & slacks with dark hair and a mustache used to stand around the middle near the tanks, across from the long counters. He'd call out in a strong voice asking if anybody needed any help.

I think that one of the things that contributed to their demise was the rise of the discount pet store chains with flashy, tiny tanks with several colors of glass gravel and cheaper, immature fish. Petland Discounts, Fishtown USA, etc. Aqua Stock was more old-school, and from pre-all-glass tank era. I'm sure their rent wasn't cheap either.

Thanks for the reference to the Modern Aquarium article. Here's the link to the issue, it starts on page 11.

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